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Strategy. Main drivers of CDS activity The CDS role in the international and national landscape. activities. Reference, value-added services Contents/software development/operations Selected, validated, homogenized information from publications, catalogues, images + links
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Strategy F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
Main drivers of CDS activity • The CDS role in the international and national landscape F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
activities • Reference, value-added services Contents/software development/operations Selected, validated, homogenized information from publications, catalogues, images + links • Standards and generic tools • Technological watch, R&T • User and project support F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
Reference, value-added services F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
Services (1) Different aspects • Building the contents Selection, validation, homogenisation of information from many sources • Building data management systems and user interfaces • Keep up with scientific and technical evolution F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
Services (2) The basic CDS service to the community A high impact activity A long term, constantly evolving, very demanding activity which relies on experts (documentation, software, astronomers) F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
The key for success • A highly skilled and motivated team integrating astronomers, ‘documentalists’ and computer engineers This implies in particular: • Careful integration of newcomers • Continuity in expertise essential: fill the holes (departures and retirements) in advance • Maintain the quality and team spirit while the team is renewed/growing F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
Organization • The most demanding task at CDS among many (strong operational pressure on individuals and difficult work) • Not easy to homogenize long term activities (contents) with shorter term ones (projects) • Distributed team (Strasbourg, Paris, astronomers in Montpellier, Toulouse) • Take better into account the long term aspects • Specific ‘Bibliography’ team meetings • Encourage the staff to meet regularly to discuss difficult cases (already done in Paris on a weekly basis) • More generally, one need to revisit the CDS organigram F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
In the short/medium term future:infrastructure • Increase the local computing power to support • Multi-criteria queries to VizieR • Image mosaicking in Aladin • Image analysis tools (IDHA/MDA) i.e. transport results and not data 2003-2004: test the usage of PC cluster for queries to large catalogues and image transformation functions F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
In the short/medium term future:contents (1) • New update methods with the new SIMBAD s/w • Still increase integration with journals • Object tagging (A&A, also AAS), automated recognition of object names BUT quality must be preserved • New tools for the CDS bibliography team (also for users!) • Aladin astrometric registration (X,Y coord.) and centroide estimation (done) • Generalized Sesame (SIMBAD + VizieR - done) • Improve cross-id tool (‘raccord’) F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
In the short/medium term future:contents (2) VizieR and Aladin • Continue to implement large surveys and reference image data sets in the local databases e.g SDSS • Efficient indexing • Better Metadata homogenization • More functionalities available (compression, mosaicking) • Improve access to distributed, heterogeneous data, taking advantage of VO development F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
In the short/medium term future:functionalities (1) Beyond query by position: ‘VO-type queries’ • Multi-criteria searches in large surveys A R&T project: Indexing, usage of a PC cluster • Data selection, transformation (semantics) • UCD1+ in VizieR • Filters • Data model (e.g. hierarchical view of data sets) • Cross-match in VizieR & Aladin (incl. very large data sets) F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
In the short/medium term future:functionalities (2) More tools, integrated and ‘collaborating’ • Integrated table visualisation tool Continue collaboration with the Indian VO team (Pune) • Links to external, useful tools ExtApp in Aladin e.g. Sextractor, image analysis tools (IDHA/MDA), … F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
New functionalities • Identifiy new desirable functionnalities by evaluating science needs (anticipate new large projects, demos, VO projects RSCs), e.g. • Spectral Energy Distribution • ‘Multiview Aladin’ • HEALPIX in Aladin for cosmologists • Collaboration with IMCCE • More generally time dimension F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
Interoperability standards and tools for the VO F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
VO projects • Interoperability standards and tools for the VO • CDS role in the VO F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
The Virtual Observatory « an enabling and coordinating entity to foster the development of tools, protocols, and collaborations necessary to realize the full scientific potential of astronomical databases in the coming decade » NVO White Paper, June 2000 Science driven F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) Roadmap Definition of interoperability standards (WGs) Demonstrations F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
Action Spécifique Observatoire Virtuel France (1) • Created by INSU in 2004 with support from CNES • Role: • Coordinate French participation to the IVO • Contact point for European projects • Contact point with IT community • Covers astronomy, space plasma physics, studies of the Sun and planets • Deals only with the thin ‘interoperability’ layer F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
OV France (2) http://www.france-ov.org ovfrance@astro.u-strasbg.fr F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
AS OV France Scientific Council (national programs and GDRs) F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
CDS role in OV France • FG chairs the Scientific Council • 2004 AO (‘triggering money for travel): 1/3 of projects seek CDS support • Tutorial (October 2004): in Strasbourg, all teachers except 2 from CDS • Can support very interesting actions: collaboration with IMCCE F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
Virtual Observatory projects with CDS participation (2001-2004) Astronomical Virtual Observatory The European VO project RTD, Access to Large Scale Facilities ESO, ESA-ECF, AstroGRID, CDS, Terapix, Jodrell (2001-2004) ClassX Classifying the High Energy Universe NASA AISRP project HEASARC, STScI, CDS (2001-2004) Also: Aladin in VO demos F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
The future in Europe • Euro VO: a MOU between partners at the national level • Facility Centre (mainly ESO, ESA) • Data Centre Alliance (F. Genova in charge) • VO Technical Centre • European Commission (FP6) money for networking (from OPTICON and RadioNet) and for VO TC (VO-TECH project, A. Lawrence) F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
IT ‘national’ projects Action Concertée Incitative GRID (2001), MD (2003) Globalisation des Ressources Informatiques et des Données Masses de Données Multidisciplinary actions (IT, applications) • An occasion to settle the links with LSIIT IDHA (+ QUB, Terapix, LAM), MDA (+LORIA, IRIT) (cf. tomorrow morning’s talk) F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
Interoperability Access to distributed, heterogeneous information Users • Where is the data of interest for me? • How can I get data from this (these) service(s)? • How can I use the data I retrieve? Service managers • How can I use information from another service? • How can another data provider use my information? F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
Name resolver F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
The CDS GLU Générateur de Liens Uniformes • Resource dictionary (shared, distributed, hierarchical name space, clone management…) • Resolver: symbolic name > URL • An early prototype with many of the required functionalities F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
CDS actions in interoperability • In charge of the ‘Interoperability’ Work Area of AVO • Proposed and managed the ‘Interoperability’ WG in OPTICON FP5 (immediately open to international participation) • Very active in IVOA Interoperability WGs (cf S. Derriere/M. Louys talk) F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
CDS role in AVO • Work Area 2 Interoperability • Major role in science demos, based on the Aladin VO portal (Jan. 2003, Jul. 2003, Jan. 2004) • hierarchical view/browsing of data, filters, cross-match tool • Standards: UCDs • New data sets (GOODS, MACHO, better links to ISO, XMM) • Web Services for the major CDS services F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
IVOA standards OPTICON meeting Strasbourg 2002 Garching 2002 IVOA Interop meetings Boston 2002 Cambridge UK 2003 Strasbourg 2003 Cambridge US 2004 Pune 2004 F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
CDS role in the VO (1) • CDS services are one major VO hub CDS provides VALIDATED, reference information, tools and links • VO is good for CDS services! • Easier links from/to distributed services • More users through VO tools • New ideas for VO-driven functionalities cf implementation of AVO developed functionalities in Aladin • New collaborations (e.g. VO India) F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
CDS role in VO (2) • VO is science driven • CDS Science staff is and will be very active in the definition of VO science drivers (AVO SWG, VO Science Reference Mission, Euro VO actions in that domain) • Major expertise in supporting users F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
CDS role in VO (3) • Major expertise in the definition of interoperability standards and tools, and very active leadership of/participation to IVOA WGs, IVOA activities, and relevant Euro VO/VO TECH activities • Participation to IVOA Board and organisation of IVOA meetings F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
CDS role in VO (3) • Euro-VO • VO FC: user support • DCA: lead by F. Genova • VO TECH: R&D project (FP6) • Several domains: infrastructure, tools, intelligent resource discovery, data exploration • CDS will lead Intelligent resource discovery (ontologies, Semantic Web) and participate to all • In particular: work on Interoperablity standards and attention paid to science requirements in all domains • OV France major expertise and data centre F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
IVO: a new tool for scientists ‘First Science Demo’ of the AVO project, January 2004 F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
Research & Technology actions F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
R&T actions at CDS • R&T with operational goals: tests on technologies or methods which could be used in the services • Often through student trainings • Close collaboration with IT labs • Maintained in spite of the operational/project pressure (more than 10% of time of key staff) F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
R&T actions at CDS • Staying at the forefront of technologies and methods is critical for long term presence of CDS at the proper technical level and for keeping the services at the leading edge • New technologies implementation not too early, not too late! E.g. XML, Java • Decision after assessment and ‘strategic’ discussion about the discipline technical context F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
Collaboration with IT • A long term tradition of collaboration with LSIIT and IRIT • Can now be officialized in the French STIC programs Actions Concertées Incitatives F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
User support F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
Support to users, projects (this morning’s talk) and developers • CNRS Schools • OV France tutorial • Participation to/organization of Colloquia • ADASS (2003) • LISA (2002) • Student trainings • Teaching at Université Louis Pasteur F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10
Develop science usage • Demos • On-line tutorials • In-house science use • By CDS and Observatory staff • By visitors • A program to help users on complex usage (short visits) is very desirable but requires more scientists in house F. Genova, CDS Council meeting, 2004/09/9-10